


Just Us

by costia_gray



Series: I Want To Be Your Home [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Earth, College, Cuddling & Snuggling, Earth-94, F/F, First Dates, Flirting, Getting Together, Relationship Discussions, Romantic Fluff, Surprise Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-04-08 02:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19098202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/costia_gray/pseuds/costia_gray
Summary: I wish you were here. We could have the whole weekend together. Just us.Timeline: October 12th & 13th, 2007





	1. Chapter 1

_**Friday, October 12th, 2007** _

> **[8:20 PM] Kara Danvers:** I miss you.

Alex popped out one earbud when she felt her phone vibrate on the desk, the screen lighting up as a text message came through. Her cheeks warmed when she read Kara’s message, and she was quick to reply.

 

> **[8:21 PM] Alex Danvers:** I miss you too, goof.

She smiled, setting the phone back down beside her laptop and trying to turn her attention back to the assignment she was working on for her British Lit class.

English had never really been her favorite subject — it just didn’t capture her attention like science always had — but this class had been a breeze so far. Even if it had sucked, she’d have been working just as diligently. It might just be a prereq, but every grade mattered now, especially if she wanted to fast track through her MD and Ph.D. as her mom expected.

Her phone buzzed again just as she was reaching out to push her earbud back in.

 

> **[8:23 PM] Kara Danvers:** How much?

Alex rolled her eyes but she wasn’t even a little annoyed. Kara had been as needy and clingy as she could be from a distance. Alex had expected it, especially after the goodbye they’d shared the day she’d moved into her dorm. She was clinging right back, honestly, and more than fulfilling her promise that the distance wouldn’t change their relationship. She and Kara were constantly in touch in some form or another. Texting was definitely the easiest and used most often.

 

> **[8:24 PM] Alex Danvers:** You know how much.

She didn’t even get a chance to set the phone back down this time before it began buzzing again.

 

> **[8:24 PM] Kara Danvers:** I do know! :)
> 
> **[8:24 PM] Kara Danvers:** Eliza went to a conference all weekend.
> 
> **[8:25 PM] Kara Danvers:** The house feels really empty without her.
> 
> **[8:25 PM] Kara Danvers:** Without YOU.
> 
> **[8:26 PM] Kara Danvers:** I want to come see you.

Alex’s heart raced faster at the very thought. She’d only been at Stanford about a month, but the separation from Kara had been hellish. They spoke on the phone every day, Skyped at least once a week and were always chatting or texting. But it wasn’t the same kind of closeness either of them was used to.

Alex missed threading her fingers into Kara’s hair while they cuddled on the window seat in their room, watching DVDs on her laptop on lazy Sundays. She missed waking up with Kara’s furnace of a body pressed against her back in her old twin bed, Kara’s nose nuzzling into her neck at night.

Going without physically touching Kara for this long was borderline painful. And any attempt she made to close her eyes and remind herself _Kara is your sister, you shouldn’t think about her like that_ was soundly defeated by the next reminder: _but you kissed her_.

She’d been thinking about that kiss — _two kisses_ — ever since the last time they’d seen each other. She couldn’t even count the number of times she’d found herself pressing her fingers to her lips that night and wishing she could have _more_. And no matter how busy she was, how hard she tried to cast the memory out of her mind, she would find herself thinking about it again and again.

She was starting to ask questions she’d never let herself ask, and she was still searching for answers.

None of what they’d been to one another in the past couple of years had been anything approaching sisterly if she really let herself think about it. She’d had friends with sisters even before Kara landed on the Danvers’ doorstep; none of them touched their sisters the way Alex and Kara touched one another.

The way she felt about Kara, the way she found herself looking at her more often than not, the way they talked to each other, especially now, it wasn’t sisterly, and she knew that. She’d known that when she’d finally kissed Kara and she knew it now.

 

> **[8:29 PM] Alex Danvers:** I know. I wish you were here. We could have the whole weekend together. Just us.

She bit her lip, not even attempting to turn her attention back to her work now. She felt heat building in her chest, spreading up her neck and across her cheeks. She wasn’t really sure why she was getting so flustered when the conversation was mostly innocent. But the moment felt so charged, like something was coming Alex just couldn’t put her finger on.

 

> **[8:30 PM] Kara Danvers:** I could be there in just a few minutes if you want.

Alex hesitated. She knew that was true. Kara’s superspeed could have her here in the blink of an eye if she used it, but she was supposed to discourage her alien foster sister from using her powers. And it would be selfish of her to ask Kara to do that for her, to risk exposing herself just so they could see each other again.

No matter how much she absolutely did want it, she knew they shouldn’t give in to temptation.

 

> **[8:32 PM] Alex Danvers:** You can’t, Kara. You know that.

Sighing, Alex plucked out her earbuds and closed the lid of her laptop carefully, padding back over to her bed. She wasn’t going to get any work done right now, so she might as well relax and get comfortable.

She arranged her pillows into a little pile to lean on before settling down on her bed, resting her phone on her chest and reaching for the book she’d been reading in her free time. It was some young adult supernatural romance — better than _Twilight_ , apparently — Kara had insisted she read. She’d even sent Alex her own dog-eared copy with highlighted passages and notes scrawled into the margins that made Alex smile at the familiarity. It wasn’t that interesting of a story, but it made her feel closer to Kara.

She hadn’t even realized a few more minutes than normal had passed until her phone buzzed against her chest and she pulled it in front of the book. What she read made her stomach drop like a stone.

 

> **[8:41 PM] Kara Danvers:** Um. Oops? I’m kind of already here...
> 
> **[8:41 PM] Kara Danvers:** Come to the door.

The book and her cell phone both hit the carpeted floor with a collective thump as she hurried to her feet, yanking open her bedroom door.

Her roommate, Nell, was sitting on an armchair in the common room with her laptop perched on her legs and CNN playing quietly on the TV in front of her. She looked up curiously as Alex speed-walked toward the door and yanked it open without any explanation.

Kara had clearly made an attempt to look less windswept, but the Midvale High sweatshirt she was wearing was ruffled, and there were still flyaway hairs _everywhere_. Most people wouldn’t think anything of it, but Alex knew she’d run here _almost_ as fast as she could. All the way from Midvale, an eight-hour drive away, in ten minutes.

She couldn’t bring herself to scold her, though, when she saw the way the younger girl was smiling at her.

“Are you cra—”

She was cut off abruptly when Kara swept forward and kissed her, arms wrapping tightly around her waist. She flailed for a moment before wrapping her fingers in the back of Kara’s sweatshirt and kissing her back.

She felt like she was melting, nearly overwhelmed by the pent-up emotion Kara was pouring into her. Every clenched muscle in her body relaxed and her knees went weak. Any semblance of logical thought was completely gone, and it wasn’t until she heard a shrill wolf whistle from behind her that she had the presence of mind to press against Kara’s chest until she pulled away.

When Alex turned to her roommate, yanking Kara into her dorm common room by her wrist, her face was beet red; she felt hot all the way to the tips of her ears. Nell was grinning at her, a dark eyebrow cocked in question.

“Nice show, Danvers! Who’s the lucky girl?”

Kara didn’t turn around until she’d taken her sweet time closing the door and Alex had tugged on her sleeve _twice_. She was just as bright red, obviously embarrassed too, but given she was the one who’d jumped Alex without any forethought, Alex felt it was well-deserved.

“Kara, this is my roommate, Nell Porter. She’s a marketing major,” Alex reported dutifully. “Nell, this is—”

“Kara Lee,” Kara interjected, wrapping her arms snugly around Alex’s waist. “Alex’s girlfriend.”

The giddy smile that spread across Alex’s face was completely involuntary, and she wasn’t totally sure where it came from. She should be terrified. She didn’t know if she was gay or curious or if it was just _Kara_ she felt this way about. She was still trying to figure everything out.

But hearing Kara introducing herself as Alex’s _girlfriend_ , it made her feel happy in that way only her gorgeous alien girl had ever inspired in her.

“She surprised me with a weekend visit,” Alex filled in, taking what Kara had started and running with it. She turned her face to press a kiss to the younger girl’s cheek. “I’ll keep her penned in my room, I promise.”

She pulled out of Kara’s arms and threaded their fingers together, leading her off toward her room. “Come on.”

Nell looked between them, her expression amused, and laughed. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Kara. Shove a towel under the door if you’re gonna get loud, Danvers!”

Alex huffed, glaring daggers uselessly at the back of her roommate’s head and shoving Kara into her room before following her inside. She closed and locked the door and had barely turned around when her back hit the hard wooden surface. Kara’s arms pressed against the door on either side of her, pinning her in, but she found she didn’t mind much at all.

Kara spent a few long moments tracing the lines of her face with one index finger while they kept very intense eye contact. Alex’s entire body was tingling from both the pleasurable sensation and being the object of such an overwhelming wave of love. It had always been like this when Kara touched her, when they were close, and she had been withdrawing from it like she was some sort of addict. Kara was always so perfectly gentle with her like she was a fragile, breakable thing.

Compared to Kara, her literal alien goddess, she _was_.

“I should yell at you for coming here like this,” Alex said lowly.

Kara’s brows furrowed, and Alex reached up automatically, two fingers brushing over The Crinkle.

“But you’re so excited I’m here you’re not going to?” she asked hopefully, her forehead smoothing out with the smile she wore.

“But… I’ve really, _really_ missed you. So much it hurts.”

“I know.” Kara’s smile faded and she pressed a long kiss to Alex’s forehead. “I hate this. I want you to come home to me.”

“I’ll be home soon,” Alex assured her patiently, not for the first time. Kara had been moping about this for the past few weeks and nothing Alex said seemed to reassure her. Maybe it would be more effective in person. “You’re here now. We’re together. Just us.”

“Just us,” Kara agreed, another beautiful, genuine smile blooming across her face.

Alex smiled back tremulously, her heart fluttering madly in her chest. She wound both hands into the front of Kara’s gray sweatshirt, clutching the material tightly while she took a slow, calming breath. Kara had always affected her profoundly but everything was really shifting now.

They would have to talk about it at some point, she knew that. But now wasn’t that point. Now all she wanted to do was feel Kara’s mouth on hers… Her lips tingled at the very thought — although that could just as easily be aftershocks from that stunner Kara had laid on her at the door.

Either way, really

She tugged on Kara’s shirt, tilting her chin up and her head a bit to the side. Kara was watching her with a tender smile, and Alex felt her cheeks warming again.

“Well,” she murmured, raising one eyebrow expectantly, “what are you waiting for, alien girl?”

Kara’s eyes widened briefly but she was quick to catch on, leaning in to capture Alex’s lips with her own. Her kiss was much softer this time, less yearning and desperation, more affection and familiarity while still being _very_ enthusiastic.

Alex felt one hand cupping her cheek, and she slid a hand of her own to the back of Kara’s neck, reveling in the tenderness of their lips moving together. She could feel warmth spreading through her and not just from the heat of Kara’s sun-powered body curving into her own.

Alex finally, very reluctantly, broke the kiss to breathe, moving her hands to Kara’s shoulders and pulling her close.

“Kara Lee, huh?” she asked, both eyebrows lifting this time.

“That’s the name on my birth certificate, right? Rao knows what she would have thought if you’d said Danvers.”

Alex acknowledged that with a small nod. If they were a little older, having the same last name might make people think _wife_. As it was, they were going to assume blood relative, and Kara was _not_ her blood; her parents had never even formally adopted her. Alex didn’t have any real brothers or sisters or cousins, but if she had, she definitely wouldn’t be kissing them the way she was still aching to kiss Kara.

“Was that okay?” Kara asked softly, looking worried by her lack of comment. “I just didn’t want—”

Alex cut her off with another kiss. Kara let out this adorable little squeak of surprise, and Alex couldn’t help but let out a laugh against the younger girl’s mouth. She felt Kara grinning too, leaning in to kiss her again before turning her around and urging her over to the bed. She was sitting on the edge of the bed and Kara was standing over her when she finally broke the kiss, breathless again.

“You think you’re getting lucky tonight?” She smirked playfully, digging her fingers into the small of Kara’s back.

“I’m lucky just to be with you,” Kara said sincerely, those eyes drinking Alex in like she was dying of thirst.

Alex flushed, covering her face with her hands. God, she’d missed how good Kara could make her feel just by talking to her, just by _looking_ at her. She never felt as seen or appreciated or loved completely as she did with Kara.

She felt Kara press a kiss to the back of each of her hands and slowly peel them away from her face. Alex barely had a moment to look into those bright, loving eyes before Kara’s forehead came down to rest against hers. Alex’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes fluttered closed; she had never felt so uncontrolled in her life, so completely swept away, completely lost in emotion.

The way she felt about Kara had been simmering under the surface for such a long time. Now, to act on those feelings with more than brief kisses given as reassurances, it was a rush she’d never experienced before. It was a feeling she was getting very used to, quickly.

“I never want to stop kissing you, Alex.”

“Then don’t. I mean, I kissed you first.”

“You did. I guess I’m just _that_ irresistible.” Kara smirked.

“Brat.” Alex rolled her eyes and shoved against her foster sister’s belly.

“ _Your_ brat,” Kara teased, leaning down to seal their lips together again, cupping Alex’s face in her hands.

Alex hummed into the kiss, gripping Kara’s hips, her back pulling tight as she strained upward to feel those soft lips against her own. She’d thought she was addicted to Kara’s touch, but it was _nothing_ compared to how she felt now that she’d tasted Kara’s mouth. She had kissed a few guys in high school, even kissed Erin Daly while drunk at their graduation party. But it didn’t measure up to this. It wasn’t even close.

“All yours,” Kara whispered, peering into Alex’s eyes.

Alex grinned, capturing Kara’s lips again before whispering back a confirmation. “All mine.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I know I had initially put this down as a three-chapter fic, but honestly, I just couldn't. My brain wouldn't allow me to expand to three, but changing it to two really helped out. And my inspiration skyrocketed after collabing with baileyrhapsody, so thanks for that, bro. ;)
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys and the months-long wait was at least a little worth it!

_**Saturday, October 13th, 2007** _

The blaring of her alarm woke Alex with a start the next morning. She groaned; she usually turned her crack-of-dawn alarm off on the weekends, but she must have forgotten after Kara showed up last night and distracted her. She glared blearily at the offending sound and tried to stretch out and turn the damn thing off. Her effort was fruitless. Unfortunately, she was held in place by a Kryptonian grip around her stomach.

“Kara.” Alex shoved her shoulder back against her foster sister’s chest. The alarm was still blaring while Kara snoozed on obliviously and Alex was getting annoyed.

Not only was it six in the morning on a Saturday, a time no self-respecting college student was awake, but Kara’s furnace-like body had been roasting her alive all night. She was sweating on the university-provided twin bed and she seriously needed a breather. She tried to wriggle out of Kara’s arms and escape but it was just no use.

Alex huffed, reaching down to pry Kara’s fingers off her stomach, but Kara wasn’t having it. She just gripped Alex’s belly again and buried her nose in Alex’s neck, sending a little shiver of pleasure down her spine despite her aggravation. She had really missed having Kara curled against her back at night — but right now, it was interfering with her sleep.

That was when she realized the obvious solution she’d been missing this entire time. Instead of struggling against Kara’s grip, she relaxed against her, tilting her head back to brush a kiss against that gorgeous jawline. A smile immediately curled Kara’s lips and Alex chuckled softly. She’d had her suspicions after the very intentional neck nuzzling but that adorable smile just confirmed it was true.

“You are _not_ cute,” she asserted. It was a total lie. Kara was literally the cutest.

Those pretty blue eyes fluttered open and Kara met Alex’s amused gaze, not a hint of shame in her expression. But she did loosen her grip, _finally_ , and Alex stretched out to turn off her alarm. She sighed happily when the room fell blessedly silent again and Kara tugged them right back together, kissing her cheek.

“I can’t believe you were awake this whole time,” Alex chastised her, shifting onto her back to look at her gorgeous alien girl. She reached out to cup Kara’s cheek, drawing her in so their foreheads pressed together.

“You’re so adorable when you get all worked up,” Kara teased, capturing Alex’s bottom lip between both of her own.

Alex hummed, sealing her lips to Kara’s properly for a long few moments. She couldn’t help feeling continually surprised by how good and how right it felt to kiss Kara. A part of her kept insisting this should feel wrong, that Kara was her sister and not there for kissing purposes. But it was overruled time and time again when those unearthly soft lips were tasting her own so eagerly.

“Don’t tell me you’re awake for the day now. I get at least two hours more on Saturdays,” Alex warned her.

“I remember,” Kara grinned. “Go back to sleep, Alex. You don’t have to entertain me. I’m happy right where I am now.”

Alex nodded, tangling one hand into her foster sister’s dark blonde hair. “Promise?”

“I’m with _you_ ,” Kara insisted, nudging her nose against Alex’s. “I don’t care if you sleep all weekend as long as I can be here to hold you like this.”

Alex nodded, her cheeks a little hot. She could feel the sincerity of Kara’s words and knew exactly how true they were. Kara was so good to her, more than she deserved after how badly she’d treated her for so long. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten this lucky, but she was going with it, accepting it. For now, anyway.

“I have to pee,” she murmured, slipping out of their sweaty embrace and getting to her feet. Kara whined in protest, pulling at Alex’s wrist until she bent back over the bed to kiss her. “I’ll be back in a sec, clingy.”

When she returned, Kara was sprawled out across the entire bed. She grinned at Alex and was met with an eye roll as Alex crawled up on top of her with a contented smile. For someone who was so unbreakable, Kara was always comfy and soft, far better to lay on than the university-provided mattress that was killer on Alex’s back.

“If I end up on the floor, you’re dead,” Alex mumbled, already letting her eyes fall closed.

Kara just hummed her agreement, encircling Alex in her arms protectively. Alex sank into her, tangling their legs together and letting the steady thrum of her foster sister’s heartbeat against her ear lull her back to sleep. 

**X**

It wasn’t quite eight o’clock when Alex was woken by soft kisses dropped across her chin. She was on her side again, facing Kara this time, pulled against Kara’s body with a strong arm tucked securely around her. She grumbled and stretched, her sigh of discontent quickly cut off when Kara’s lips captured hers. Brief and soft, barely a kiss, but it was there, making Alex’s lips tingle.

“You’re so beautiful, Alex,” Kara breathed, trailing kisses down the side of Alex’s face and across her jawline. Alex grabbed Kara’s ears, pulling her backwards and turning away from the overenthusiastic display of affection. She heard Kara let out an affronted gasp and released her.

“I just woke up,” Alex muttered, eyes still firmly closed. “Give me a second, okay?” It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the affection because she did, without question. She just needed a few moments to become fully conscious before she was smothered, no matter how loving and well-intentioned.

A sigh escaped Kara that Alex took as acceptance. She felt warm lips brushing very gently against her temple before Kara’s cheek pressed against the top of her head. She snuggled even closer to the younger girl, humming when a firm hand brushed down the length of her back.

After several minutes had passed, Alex cracked her eyes open, beginning to feel a little more aware. She pulled her head out from under Kara’s cheek, and her heart fluttered when those deep blues met her gaze. She reached out, stroking her foster sister’s soft cheeks with delicate fingertips.

Then, a low growling sound broke the quiet between them. Alex’s eyebrows shot up and Kara’s cheeks turned bright red.

“I think that means it’s time for breakfast, huh?” Alex teased her, amusement pulling her lips up into a smirk. She closed the distance between them and covered Kara’s lips with her own, kissing her properly, slow and deep. Kara’s hands wound into her nightshirt, and Alex shuddered when a warm tongue prodded between her lips. Heat surged low in her belly, and she pulled away, breathless.

“Alex…” Kara’s thumb pressed gently into her chin. “Are you okay?”

Alex searched her eyes for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I’m okay. We should get up and get ready, and I’ll take you to breakfast. There’s this great cafe I’ve been going to just a little way off campus. It’s about a fifteen minute walk away.”

“Sounds good.” Kara smiled softly and gathered Alex into her arms, floating up off the bed and setting them both gently on the carpeted floor. Alex smacked her lightly in reprimand, but Kara just laughed, holding her closer.

Alex held onto her happily.

**X**

When they made it to the cafe about an hour later, it was right in the midst of a mid-morning rush. It was loud, too — louder than Alex had expected, although maybe not unusual. The noise just didn’t affect her the same way it could affect Kara. She held the other girl’s hand tightly, looking over at her with concern. Kara had adjusted in the years since she’d come to Earth, since she’d been with the Danvers, but Alex knew sensory overload was still a struggle for her.

So she was surprised to see Kara smiling, inhaling the delicious scents eagerly, and taking in the sleek, modern decor. If she was having trouble with the volume, she showed no outward signs of it. Alex’s tense shoulders relaxed as relief washed over her. The last thing she wanted to do was put Kara in a situation that could cause her to lose control. They had both suffered their share of teasing through Kara’s adjustment to living on Earth back in Midvale; they didn’t need it here now, too.

But Kara’s eyes stayed sharp and focused, sweeping over the tables until she tugged Alex gently forward. Alex suspected she used a fraction of her super speed to claim a small corner booth an elderly couple was vacating just in time. She rolled her eyes playfully when she saw the proud smirk Kara was wearing, and reached across the table with one hand, palm up in offering.

Kara instantly laid her own hand on top of it.

“I’m really glad you’re here.” Alex clutched the hand in her grasp, her thumb rubbing across Kara’s knuckles. “I’m going to get in so much trouble if Mom ever finds out, but…I’ve missed you.”

Kara grinned, lifting their joined hands and kissing Alex’s fingers softly. “I won’t let Eliza find out, I promise. She won’t be home until late Monday night, and you know she doesn’t usually call to check in.”

Alex nodded. Eliza tried, but things hadn’t been the same since Alex’s father died. Her mother wasn’t around as often, and when she was, it was usually to scold Alex for some reason or another. A few years ago, when Alex had decided Kara was her mortal enemy and the worst thing that had ever happened to her, she had tried to be around more to keep the peace. But even then, her presence was fleeting at best.

Credit where credit was due, though. Eliza had been here when Alex moved into the dorms and had called her a couple of times already. It wasn’t her fault if Alex had only answered once.

“Morning, ladies!” A chipper voice tore the girls’ attention from one another, and Alex turned to find a plump, red-haired woman standing beside them with a notepad in hand. “Can I get you some drinks to start you off? Maybe some coffee?”

“Coffee, please,” Alex agreed.

“Orange juice for me,” Kara chimed in.

The waitress nodded and scurried off.

“Should we talk about last night?” Kara asked tentatively, biting down on her bottom lip as their gazes met. “About…everything?”

Alex stayed quiet, giving Kara’s hand a squeeze. She wanted to, and she knew they had to. This wasn’t something they could gloss over and pretend hadn’t happened. But it brought up so many more questions that had to be answered, some that Alex had never dared to ask herself. A big part of her was scared to start uncovering that, no matter how necessary. Her feelings for Kara were too big, too real for any of this to be ignored.

“Yeah, of course,” she answered at last, brushing a few strands of hair back from her eyes with her free hand. “But why don’t we figure out what to order first?” She gave Kara’s hand one last squeeze before letting go and passing over a menu from the end of the table.

“Alex…” Kara raised an eyebrow. Alex blushed, glancing down at the menu. She couldn’t blame Kara for being doubtful. Avoidance was always easier for her than facing things. “Hey. Promise me you aren’t going to blow this off. This is important, Lexie. I want to figure it out.”

Alex took a breath, calmed her racing heart, and met Kara’s skeptical face with a quiet determination. She was nervous as hell, but Kara was right. This was important. And she wanted Kara to trust her, to know that she was going to be different now, better.

“Kara, I promise we will talk about it, okay? I just want to decide on something to eat first.” She picked up the menu again, perusing it casually. “I’m kind of in the mood for an egg white omelette. What do you think?”

There was silence across from her for a moment before Kara’s ankle locked around her own beneath the table. Alex smiled to herself, leaning her cheek against her fist.

“I’m definitely going with the blueberry pancakes. How many orders do you think I can get at once?”

Alex shook her head, chuckling fondly.

When the waitress returned, she blinked in surprise but made no comment when Kara asked for five orders of blueberry pancakes. Alex knew all five orders would be devoured in minutes and made a mental note to stop by the grocery store on the walk back to the dorms. There was no way Kara would make it to lunch without something else to eat between meals.

“So…” Kara began, her voice dipping lower. She took a drink of orange juice, set it down, then reached across the table for Alex’s hand again. She brushed her fingertips across the thin cords of muscle, and Alex held back a shiver. “I really like kissing you.”

Alex felt her face burn hot up to her ears, but she couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. Leave it to Kara to get right to the heart of the subject without a hint of hesitation or pussyfooting. It was brave of her. One of the things Alex admired about her most.

“I like kissing you too,” she admitted shyly, scratching beneath her ear. “And I, uh… I liked that you told Nell you were my girlfriend.” She was sure Kara had put that together by her reaction. She’d never felt her heart jump like that, but it seemed to be doing something very similar right now.

Kara grinned, her own cheeks a warm pink. She nodded, intertwining her fingers with Alex’s. “I liked that, too. It felt…right.” She paused a moment, looking uncertain. Alex gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. “More right than calling you my sister ever has.”

“Yeah,” Alex murmured, examining their joined hands rather intently. She wholeheartedly agreed, but she was still trying to navigate this situation, find the best way to express everything she felt. “I don’t think I can be…your sister anymore. I… I think— I _know_ we’re more than that. I don’t want to pretend anymore.”

The words fell out of Alex’s mouth before her brain could fully process them, but they were the unequivocal truth; she felt the rightness settling over her. The look Kara gave her in return was unbelievably soft. Suddenly, the table between them felt like a horrible barrier. Alex wanted nothing more than to climb over it and curl into her gorgeous alien girl’s arms again.

“Do you think you want to try to…be together?” Kara asked her, leaning on her forearms across the table. Those Kryptonian blue eyes held unmasked, frantic hope. Alex felt herself tremble at the sight, her heart full to bursting with love she’d tamped down for so long.

“Y-yes,” she answered quickly, stammering over the simple word in her eagerness. She took a deep breath, locked eyes with Kara, then repeated herself more emphatically. “ _Yes._ ”

Kara leaned across the table and kissed her without another word.

The sounds around them dissipated, melting into nothing. She could only hear a faint buzzing in her ears. Her mind was too occupied With processing the immense waves of emotions crashing through her every second Kara’s lips moved against her own to recognize anything else. Hours could have passed; days, weeks.

Energy crackled between them, lips sliding purposefully against lips, tender and slow. They had shared far more passionate just last night before falling asleep in Alex’s bed together. But the significance of it all, what it meant for them going forward, was what made it feel so powerful.

When they broke apart, Alex was overcome with self-consciousness. A few scattered patrons had eyes on them but most paid them no mind. Still, Alex blushed _hard_ , covering her cheeks with her hands. Kara, too, was flushed and breathing slightly heavier than usual, but she was smiling widely, blissfully unbothered.

“Does that make this a date?” She wrapped both their hands together again. Her tone was light, but Alex knew her, knew she was hoping. Alex just smiled shakily, waiting for her heart to stop thudding quite so hard in her chest before she could finally answer.

“Not a date.” Kara looked disappointed, but Alex wasn’t finished. She tapped her fingers against Kara’s wrist. “But _tonight_ , I’ll take you on a _real_ first date, okay? Dinner and a movie?”

Kara grinned, kissing the side of Alex’s hand. “I would love to go on a date with you tonight, Alex. As long as I get to pick the movie!”

Alex rolled her eyes, but the starstruck smile stuck on her face quickly undermined her mock annoyance. “You pick the movie every time. And I honestly don’t care what we see as long as we’re going together.” It was sappy as hell, but Kara had long ago made her into a total sap. She accepted that. She didn’t care what movie they saw anyway; Kara always chose, and Alex grumbled but rarely actually cared. Right now, her mind was still trying to process everything. This was happening, this was _real_. She was going on a date with her _sister_ tonight.

 _No,_ she corrected herself. _Kara. Just Kara._

That was the first step in making this work. Kara wasn’t her sister and never had been. They weren’t blood, and Kara wasn’t even legally adopted. She was an alien — a literal _from outer space_ kind of alien — who had been taken in by her family. The sister label needed to be dropped; she had enough internal conflict without that descriptor attached to the girl she’d fallen for.

Well…Alex didn’t know if she’d fallen for her just yet. But the feelings she harbored for her gorgeous alien girl were stronger than anything she’d ever felt. It made the fleeting interest she’d had in Midvale boys, even the secret crushes she’d never quite dealt with on a few girls, feel like nothing. Less than nothing. No one else had or could compare to Kara.

“Lexie?” Kara tugged gently on their clasped hands, crinkle of concern present between her brows. Alex blinked; she hadn’t realized she’d drifted off into her own little world for so long and let out a sheepish laugh.

Kara’s soft grin made Alex want to lean in and kiss it off her. And if it weren’t for the sudden high-pitched interruption of “Egg white omelet?” to their right, she would have. Instead, they were forced apart to accept their meals.

“The other three orders will be out in just a few, hon,” the waitress assured Kara. “Figured this would start you off right.” She placed a platter stacked six giant pancakes high in front of her. Kara licked her lips and thanked her enthusiastically.

Eyeing the younger girl across the table, Alex raised an eyebrow at how eagerly Kara reached for her knife and fork. She knew her little alien was hungry, and oftentimes, her rational mind still went out the window at times like this. But Alex was always on guard, always ready. Happily her protector.

“Human speed,” she whispered, jabbing her fork in Kara’s direction. Kara huffed dramatically and slowed her movements, one corner of her lips turned up in amusement.

“Yes, sweetheart, I know,” she replied softly, cutting off a slightly bigger than necessary chunk out of the top two pancakes. “You take such good care of me.”

“Someone has to,” Alex retorted automatically, “and I might kinda like being that person.” She shrugged, slicing into her omelette.

Kara reached out and stroked the back of her hand again, just for a moment, locking their gazes together. “Always, Alex.”

Alex’s cheeks flushed hot again. “Always,” she echoed, nodding.

God, she could hardly wait for tonight.

**X**

Later that night, Alex and Kara sat curled up together on a bench in the quad. What had started as stargazing — a favorite shared interest — turned rapidly into desperate kisses. There were very few pauses to breathe and, thankfully, very few passersby to interrupt.

Alex’s hands sifted through Kara’s hair, and Kara’s fingers dug pleasantly painful little bruises into her shoulder blades. Alex had never been kissed like this by any boy she’d dated. Just the thought of kissing them had always turned her stomach, but she’d done it, done more than that. And every time, she regretted it.

Now she had a better idea why.

Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore and broke the kiss, panting as if she’d run a marathon. Kara’s hands gentled on her upper back, guiding her to lean their foreheads together. Her breath was hot against Alex’s face, steady. Kryptonian lung capacity was a marvel to Alex’s scientific mind but one she would question further another time.

When she managed to settle her breathing, she tugged on a lock of long blonde hair. “Good date?”

Kara grinned, nuzzling their noses together. “ _Best_ date,” she replied firmly. “I want more. Do you?”

“Mm.” Alex leaned back with a shrug, pretending to consider it. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.” She tried her best to look serious but cracked quickly; Kara only looked amused, surveying her with sharp blue eyes.

“Mean,” Kara declared. “So mean.” Strong hands pulled Alex in again, leaning in to kiss along her jaw. Alex’s eyes fluttered closed, butterflies stirring to life in her belly with every touch of those lips against her skin.

“Yes. I want more,” Alex sighed happily. Her grip tightened in Kara’s hair, and she felt Kara smile against her cheek. “Tomorrow, before you have to go home?”

Kara chuckled, the sound low and rich in Alex’s ear. “Good,” she murmured, dropping a tender kiss on swollen lips. “Tomorrow it is.”


End file.
